Fall 2013
International Student Orientation
Overview of Important
ACADEMIC INFORMATION
For Undergraduate Students
ONLY
1
Please turn to the
“Academic Information &
Services” section of your
orientation notebooks now
so you can take notes on
the PowerPoint handout.
Fall 2013
Welcome to UB!
UB
Lingo
Glossary
UB
Undergrad
Catalog
Academic
Advising
Your
UB Identity
Your
Academic
Plan (HUB)
Important
Dates &
Deadlines
Register
for Classes
Professors
&
Classroom
Your
Study Plan
Tuition
&
Billing
Your
UB
Contacts
Grading
What you need to know
and where to find it!
Fall 2013
UB Terminology - Definitions
-
-
GPA: Grade Point Average
HUB: UB’s Student Information
System
Hold / Service Indicator: electronic
block to course registration
Waive (a course, requirement): not
have to take the course or fulfill the
requirement
Prerequisite: course which must be
taken before student can register for a
higher level course
Looking for information?
Use the Undergraduate Catalog Search function.
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Fall 2013
Campus Advising Offices
 Meet with an Advisor at least
once a semester. They will show
you how to use UB academic
tools, and to help you develop
your academic plan.
 Have you started your UB
Contact list?
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Fall 2013
Your UB Identity
1.
UBIT name
(username) &
Password.
Use this to access
MyUB, UBLearns, and
your HUB Student
Center.
2.
UB Person Number is found on
your UB Card.
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Fall 2013
Your Identity: MyUB and HUB Student Center
3.
UBmail
4.
UBlearns
5.
Your HUB Student Center
6.
Need to Know announcements
7
Your responsibilities as a student…
“…As a condition of enrollment, students are responsible for
reviewing, understanding and abiding by the university's regulations,
procedures, requirements and deadlines as described in official
publications, including the university's undergraduate catalog, UB
web sites and official university e-mail communications.
In addition, all students are required to positively affirm their
knowledge of, and adherence to UB's Rules and Regulations prior to
their inaugural semester at UB. Asserting a lack of knowledge of
university regulations will not be accepted as a basis for an exception
to these regulations.”
Source: Student Responsibility Statement,
Undergraduate Catalog
8
Fall 2013
The Undergraduate Catalog
The Undergraduate Catalog is available
ONLY on-line at:
http://undergrad-catalog.buffalo.edu/
The Catalog is your CONTRACT with UB.
It explains the policies and procedures of
the University.
It describes all academic degree programs
as well as courses and careers related to
each program.
Your Catalog Year is 2013-2014.
You will use the Catalog in conjunction with
your Academic Advisement Report (AAR)
found in HUB.
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Fall 2013
University Degree Requirements
What is required to earn my
baccalaureate degree and
graduate?
Do you hope to complete your
degree Finish in Four years?
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Fall 2013
University Degree Requirements
Minimum Number of Credit
Hours
Earn at least 120 credit hours
Academic Residency
Requirement
Complete a minimum of 30 undergraduate credit
hours (the equivalent of one full year of study) at
the University at Buffalo
Minimum Academic Average
Earn at least a 2.0 overall GPA (grade point
average). Note: Higher departmental and overall
GPA may be required for some programs.
Major Requirement
Be admitted to a major and complete
requirements for that major
General Education Program
Complete General Education program
Graduation
Undergraduate Students apply for graduation in
your HUB Student Center
Academic Advisement Report
(AAR) - HUB Student Center
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Fall 2013
General Education Requirements
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Fall 2013
General Education Requirements
General Education is the fundamental liberal arts core of your
American education.
To earn a bachelor’s degree, you must acquire certain skills and
knowledge in areas outside your major.
All State University of New York students are required to complete
the same general education program (specific course details may
vary by school).
General Education requirements are tracked on your Academic
Advisement Report (in HUB).
Source: General Education Requirements,
Undergraduate Catalog
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Fall 2013
General Education Requirements

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Fall 2013
Academic Programs
Links to:
 Majors
 Non-Degree
programs
 Approved Minors
 Department
Abbreviations
 Course Prefixes
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Fall 2013
Academic Program Requirements
Links to:
 Overview of
Department
 Degrees & Policies
(Acceptance Criteria
courses & grade point
average, Major
requirements)
 Courses – descriptions,
prerequisites info
 Faculty – where they
earned their last
degree
 Careers – careers of
graduates in this major
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Fall 2013
Transfer Credit
Have you earned credit
from another college or
university?
Have you requested
that a Final Official
Transcript be sent to
UB?
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Fall 2013
Alternative Exam Credit
• Test credit, transfer coursework and other types of non-UB credit
are listed on your Transfer Credit Summary Report (as well as in
HUB).
•UB accepts a few types of alternative/exam credit (A-level, IB, AP,
CLEP). Please refer to the following website:
http://tas.buffalo.edu/altexam/
•Minimum scores are usually required to earn credit and/or meet
degree requirements.
•Remember to tell your advisor about this credit as it could affect
what classes you take.
The College Board Code for UB is: 2925
Source: Alternative Methods for Earning University Credit,
Undergraduate Catalog
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Fall 2013
Your Major
Intended Major
Intended = A major you are considering or for which
you are taking prerequisites, but to which you have
not yet applied or been accepted
Approved Major
Approved = a major to which you were accepted at
the time of entry to UB (only for certain majors) or
after having completed the prerequisites and applied
to the department
Undecided
Undecided or Exploratory is not a major that you can
declare. It describes a student who is not sure about a
major or who is exploring multiple majors.
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Fall 2013
Managing Your Academic Plan
1.
My Academics
Links to
Undergrad
Catalog &
Calendars
More Information: HUB Information for Students
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Fall 2013
How do I know what requirements I have completed?
2.
4.
3.
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Fall 2013
How do I know if I am making
timely progress toward a degree?
 Choose a major as early as possible and begin working on the
prerequisite courses (also referred to as “acceptance
criteria”)*.
 Plan out most General Education requirements and major
prerequisites in your first two years.
 Aim at being accepted to a major by the time you have
completed 60 credit hours.
* Acceptance criteria vary by major—they can range from 3
courses to 15—so planning ahead is critical!
 Get help if you are having trouble.
 Consider changing your major if things are not going well.
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Fall 2013
How and When Do I Register for Classes?
Holds
Registration
links
When you
can begin to
Register
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Fall 2013
Course Registration Information
• If you are not yet registered for classes, you MUST
meet with an academic advisor later today and register.
• Registration for the Fall 2014 semester begins in late
March/early April. You will be assigned a start date and
time based on your total number of completed credits.
• Get the classes you want and need! Don’t miss your
Enrollment Date (in HUB Student Center)!
• General information about course registration is
located at: http://registrar.buffalo.edu/registration
Source: Class Registration, Office of the Registrar
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Fall 2013
How do I find out which courses are offered
each semester?
Course offerings
information is found on
the Registrar website and
in HUB by doing a Course
Search.
HUB course search will
display information such
as: sections, components
(e.g. lecture with lab,
lecture with recitation),
times, location, teacher,
description, registration
number of all course
offerings for each
semester.
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Fall 2013
Dates & Deadlines
1.
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Fall 2013
Late Fees &
Holds / Service Indicators
 Financial penalties and/or registration holds apply
if deadlines are missed!
 REMINDER: Avoid a hold on next semester
registration by affirming the UB Rules &
Regulations in the “Need to Know” box on your
MyUB homepage.
Source: Holds/Service Indicators, Office of the Registrar
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Fall 2013
Creating your Time Management
& Study Plan
Planner
UBmail powered by
Google
Class Schedule
Use the Calendar function in Google to add the
following dates, events,
Course Syllabi
 Enter the dates of test, papers, projects, etc.
 Create Study Plan based on test dates
Academic Calendar
UB’s Academic Calendars include dates for the start
and end of semesters, official holidays and final exams
Student Calendars
The Student Calendars include important dates and
deadlines for course registration, drop/add and course
resign.
Enter your classes (Repeating Event, date range)
Source: Drop/Add Information, Resigning a Course Information,
Office of the Registrar
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Fall 2013
Dropping / Resigning Classes
Dropping Classes
Earn a Cumulative gpa (grade point average) ≥ 2.0 and
most recent semester gpa ≥ 2.0
Full-time Status
To be considered a Full-time student, you must be
registered for at least 12.0 credit hours.
Last day to Add or
Drop
The last day to add or drop a Spring 2014 class is
Monday, February 3, 2014. Dropped classes will not
appear on your Transcript.
Resigning classes
Resigning from a class can be done until the end of
11th week of classes (Friday, April 18, 2014). Grade of
“R” appears on your record.
International students cannot resign a class if it means
they will no longer be enrolled full-time without first
consulting an International Student Advisor!
Financial Liability
Deadlines
Note: Beginning on Tuesday, February 4, 2014, you will
have a financial liability even if you resign classes.
Source: Drop/Add Information, Resigning a Course Information,
Office of the Registrar
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Fall 2013
Repeating Classes
•
•
•
•
Always speak with an advisor BEFORE repeating a course!
Courses can be repeated whether you pass, resign or fail.
Credit is earned only once.
Second grade will calculate into the GPA. All grades will appear
on transcript.
• Students attempting a class for the FIRST time are given priority
for enrolling in high demand classes.
• Some courses may only be repeated in a summer session.
Examples include:
•
BIO 200 & 201
CHE 101- 202
COM 101
ECO 181 & 182
UGC 111 & 112
ENG 101, 102, 201
MTH 121- 241
PHY 101
PSC 101
PSY 101
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Fall 2013
Leaving UB
Academic
Withdrawal
By petition only. Grades for all courses in a semester
are changed to “W”. Used for medical or extenuating
circumstances. Deadline to apply is end of subsequent
semester.
Undergraduate
Leave of Absence
You may request a Leave of Absence for one or two
semesters from your enrollment at the university.
Securing a Leave of Absence will preserve your status
as of the time you begin your leave and will eliminate
any re-application process or paperwork when you
return. You will also have access to your UB e-mail
during this time.
Not Returning to
UB Checklist
We recommend that you use this checklist as a guide
to help you make sure that you haven’t forgotten
something important before you leave.
Source: Leave of Absence Information, Resigning a Course
Information, Office of the Registrar
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Fall 2013
Academic Course Expectations
The Academic Integrity Video and
more information on this topic can
be found on-line at:
http://academicintegrity.buffalo.edu
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Fall 2013
Course Syllabi
The course syllabus serves as a
contract between the student and
professor regarding course
expectations and policies.
The course syllabus should clearly
communicate what the instructor
expects of students and what
students can expect from the
instructor.
A course syllabus must be finalized
and distributed to the class during the
first week of classes.
All course syllabi should include,
but are not limited to, the following
components:
Course Description
Learning Outcomes
Academic Content
Grading Policy
Office Hours
Academic Integrity
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Fall 2013
UB Learns
The UBlearns website is NOT THE SAME
as the MyUB website!
UBlearns is a Blackboard™ application that SOME
professors use as a complement to formal
classroom instruction.
NOT ALL of your classes will be listed on UBlearns
- your class will only be listed there if the
instructor chooses to enroll the course.
Source: UBlearns Help, UBlearns
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Fall 2013
Tutoring Services at UB
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Fall 2013
Grading
Letter Grade
Grade Points
A
4.00
A-
3.67
B+
3.33
B
3.00
B-
2.67
C+
2.33
C
2.00
C-
1.67
D+
1.33
D
1.00
F
0.00
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Fall 2013
Do I have to maintain certain grades or standards?
Fall
Semester
Spring
Semester
October
March
Last day
to Resign a 15 week
course
End of the 11th
week of semester
End of the 11th week
of semester
Final Grades posted to
HUB Student Center
End of 1st week in
January
late May
Mid-semester Review
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Fall 2013
YES! There is an Academic Standards Review
at the end of each semester
Academic Progress Complete a minimum of 24 credits each
academic year
Good Standing
Earn a Cumulative gpa (grade point average) ≥ 2.0
and most recent semester gpa ≥ 2.0
Academic Warning First semester students with semester gpa < 2.0.
Continuing students with cumulative UB gpa > 2.0
but most recent semester gpa < 2.0
Probations
Cumulative gpa ≥ 2.0 but 2 most recent
consecutive semester gpa’s < 2.0, OR cumulative
gpa < 2.0 but Quality Point Deficit < 20
Dismissal
Continuing students with cumulative GPA < 2.0
and Quality Point Deficit ≥ 20
Source: Undergraduate Catalog – Grading – Academic Review
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Fall 2013
Academic Honors
Dean’s List
By semester: 3.6 gpa (grade point
average) and at least 15 credit hours
Latin Honors
Upon degree conferral
3.20 gpa: Cum Laude
3.50 gpa: Magna Cum Laude
3.75 gpa: Summa Cum Laude
Departmental
Honors
 “With Distinction”
 “With High Distinction”
 “With Highest Distinction”
Honoraries &
Honor Societies
Source: Undergraduate Catalog - Grading
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Fall 2013
Other UB Resources
UBE 101
First Year Experience Course (freshmen only) - 1 credit hour
course. Required for Finish in Four (FIF)
FIF
UE 141
Discovery Seminars - 1 credit hour course
FIF
The Learning
Center
Baldy Hall 218 - free math and writing tutoring
Career
Services
Research majors and careers, help with resume writing and job
searches, and much more! Capen 259
Undergradua Undergraduate Academies are scholarly communities composed
te Academies of students, faculty, and staff that share a common mission,
goals, and interests. Joining an undergraduate academy will
enable you to focus on one of UB's strengths by participating in
a unique curricular and co-curricular experience.
Center for
Undergradua
te Research
and Creative
Activities
(CURCA)
The Center for Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities
(CURCA) serves as a hub for undergraduate students from all
majors who interested in finding challenging research and
creative opportunities that match their academic interests and
career goals.
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Fall 2013
Tuition & Billing
The Office of Student Accounts performs
the following functions for the University:
•Provides Tuition and Fee Rates
•Processes Comprehensive Fee Waivers
•Manages UB Billing
•Collects Payments
•Provides Information about the 1098-T
•Administers Service Indicators/Holds on
Students’ Accounts
•Determines New York State Residency
for Tuition Purposes
•Provides Liability Deadlines
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Fall 2013
Student Response Center
The Student Response Center (SRC)! The
SRC is a single point of contact for our
current and future students.
Strategically developed to bring resources
together in one convenient location, the
SRC staff can answer questions on:
 Billing
 Registration
 Academic records services
Location: Capen 232, North Campus
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
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Fall 2013
Transfer Support Services
Go to http://sas.buffalo.edu for
more information on the
following services and
programs especially for new
transfer students:
• “TRANSFERmation”
workshop
• Transfer Peer Mentor
Program
- application and info on-line
• Tips from other Transfer
Students
• University at Buffalo chapter since
2001
• Over 1000 students inducted
• Leadership experience, campus
and community involvement
• 3.5 GPA at UB required to join
---Will YOU become a Tau Sigma
member?
Source: Transfer Student Services, Student Advising Services43
Fall 2013
Charting Your Progress
in the First Year
Create a UB Contact folder in your UBmail account
Record Important Academic and Registration dates into a
Planner
Develop your Time Management and Study Plan
Pay attention to your Mid-semester grades
Meet with your advisor
Know when and how to register for next semester classes
Think ahead… develop a four-year academic plan
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Fall 2013
How Do I Remember All of This?
 …all of this information, and more, is available on-line or in
University publications and there are many people you can go to
for help (e.g. academic advisors). Read your UB e-mail account
 Read the “Need to Know section of MyUB regularly at
http://myub.buffalo.edu
 Read the “Be Advised Web Log” at http://advising.buffalo.edu
 Read the Spectrum (student newspaper)
Fall Semester 2013 - First Day of Classes:
Monday, January 27, 2014
45
Special Opportunities for
Undergraduates
Watch these videos:
• Discovery Seminars
www.academies.buffalo.edu/discoveryseminars/index.php
• Undergraduate Academies
www.academies.buffalo.edu/academies/index.php
Meet Your Academic Advisor
Please look at your name tag and find
the code for your major. (Example: SEAS)
Student Athletes
Please call to schedule an appointment with
your academic advisor.
Office of Athlete Academic &
Development Services
Alumni Arena 169
716-645-5533
48
School of Management
MG
Knox Hall 20
North Campus
49
College of Arts & Sciences
CAS
Park Hall 275
North Campus
716-645-6883
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School of Engineering
& Applied Sciences
SEAS
Bonner Hall 410
North Campus
716-645-2775
51
Student Advising Services
SAS
Norton Hall 109
North Campus
716-645-6013
52
School of Medicine &
Biomedical Sciences
SMBS
Sherman Annex 127
South Campus
53
School of Nursing
NUR
Wende Hall 103
South Campus
716-829-2537
54
School of Architecture
APX
Diefendorf Hall 103
South Campus
55
School of Public Health
& Health Professions
PHHP
Kimball Tower 104B
South Campus
56
School of Pharmacy &
Pharmaceutical Sciences
PHM
Kapoor Hall 270
South Campus
57
Non-matriculated and
Visiting or Exchange Students
EXCH
Study Abroad Office
Talbert Hall 210
North Campus
58
Undergraduate Catalog 2013 - 2014
59